The Montecito Water District will place two tractor trailers on its property for the Montecito Fire District to use when there is an elevated fire risk or other serious weather.
The Montecito Water District will place two tractor trailers on its property for the Montecito Fire District to use when there is an elevated fire risk or other serious weather. Credit: Evelyn Spence / Noozhawk file photo

Starting this month, the Montecito Water District will place two travel trailers on its property to house Montecito Fire Department crews when “critical fire weather conditions or storm events are predicted,” the districts said.

The trailers will be placed on the east end of the Water District’s East Valley Pump Station property near Sheffield Drive and East Valley Road, and at the Water District’s
Terminal Reservoir near East Mountain Drive and Cold Spring Road.

One or both locations will have two- or four-person firefighting crews — dependent on fire and other emergency conditions — with a Type 6 engine with 250 gallons of water or a Type 3 brush engine with 500 gallons of water, according to Fire District spokesperson Christina Atchison and Water District spokesperson Laura Camp.

Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon said “proactively positioning firefighters at these two locations” will “greatly reduce the time it takes to arrive on scene of a vegetation fire in remote wildland areas where our fire risk is the highest.”

He added: “We are exceedingly grateful to the Montecito Water District for coordinating with us on this project. It’s just one example of the great partnership we have with MWD and our willingness to work together for the community’s benefit.”

From left, Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon, Montecito Water District Board President Brian Goebel and Montecito Fire Division Chief Anthony Hudley at the Aug. 25 Montecito Water District Board meeting. Fallon presented the Montecito Water District's Board of Directors with a firefighter's bell as a symbol of appreciation, per Fire District spokesperson Christina Atchison.
From left, Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon, Montecito Water District Board President Brian Goebel and Fire Division Chief Anthony Hudley at the Aug. 25 water board meeting. Fallon presented the water board with a firefighter’s bell as a symbol of appreciation. Credit: Montecito Water District photo

Similarly, Montecito Water District General Manager Nick Turner said the district is “pleased to collaborate on these important initiatives” that will increase community safety.

“This will also improve fire resilience at these water facilities that benefit the entire community. Reducing risks to help ensure water availability during times of need is a top priority,” he said.

This collaboration builds on other projects between the two districts launched after the Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025, Atchison and Camp said.

One such project was the addition of four new fire hydrants for the Montecito community at “vital water facilities,” the pair said.

Atchison added that the Montecito Fire Department has increased staffing 17 times in both 2024 and 2025 in response to severe weather conditions.

— Noozhawk South County editor Evelyn Spence can be reached at espence@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.